SP Group commits S$35m for digital workplace, formalises training committee

SP Group has committed S$35 million to developing competencies for a digital workplace. The amount, set aside over the next three years until 2022, will target customer service, cybersecurity, data analytics, safety and skills.

To prepare its employees, the energy utilities group is working with the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE) to formalise a company training committee.

The committee reinforces the continued partnership between both entities, and comprises UPAGE and SP management representatives. It aims to meet talent resourcing needs in a sustainable manner and ensure that SP is well prepared with employees who have the skill sets and right mindset for its business growth.

Company training committees are an initiative by Singapore's labour movement, announced in February 2019, to help workers and companies transform for the future.

It involves union leaders working closely with companies' management to look at their strategic objectives and transformation plans, followed by identifying and addressing skill gaps and training needs. It also looks at opportunities for companies to adopt new technologies to increase productivity.

UPAGE general secretary Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab said: "Some of our workers are anxious with changes coming their way, as there is the fear that technology will be taking over jobs."

The union hopes to allay this fear, through the company training committee, by explaining and showcasing how upskilling and taking on higher value jobs will lead to better wages and work prospects.

NTUC secretary general Ng Chee Meng added that the formation of company training committees will continue to be accelerated. Union leaders will undergo training programmes such as digitalisation, business process modelling, performance and rewards management, and training needs analysis in order to enable the work of the committees.

Meanwhile, NTUC is also building a pool of industry training officers to further support the roll out of committees, he added.

Wong Kim Yin, group chief executive of SP Group, added: "We want to help our people adapt and prepare ahead of this potentially disruptive transformation. Today, in collaboration with UPAGE, we are formalising this initiative with the CTC (company training committee)."